China's Car-Swallowing Bus Is Apparently for Real

Some things seem so far out that they’re unlikely to move past the concept phase. Not so for China’s car-swallowing, futuristic bus.

The concept sure caused a stir when a model of the bus was unveiled earlier this summer at the China Beijing International High-Tech Expo. Little did we know -- amid our collective surprise and disbelief -- that this crazy thing was only weeks away from becoming a real thing.

The bus made its real-world test run this week in Qinhuangdao in China’s Hebei province, according to the Shanghaiist. You can see the bus in action in the video above, and in more detail in the video here:

More From Entrepreneur.com

Called the Transit Elevated Bus, the idea is to allow passengers to ride higher up while the usual busy city traffic passes by underneath. This run wasn’t a full test, though. It took place on a controlled track about 1,000 feet long.

The project’s engineers say each bus could someday hold as many as 1,200 people and travel about 40 mph. The video also provides a glimpse into the inside of this intimidating-looking thing. The inside appears fairly spacious and cozy, actually.